In The End
by Dragon Ruler 06
Summary: Not a song fic, couldn't think of a better title. Anyway, been playing Mass Effect too much and decided to have a go with this. Spoilers for all three games. Shakarian. Messed with the timeline. Garrus and Melissa Shepard have met before for one, very drunk night. That one night has a consequence. Now how will they handle everything the galaxy throws at them with one extra?
1. Chapter 1

**See, I get a new game, go run around in fanfiction for a while, and next thing I know, here's another story!**

**Okay, I know quite a few people have a Garrus/Fem!Shepard story where they have a baby after romancing and all that. Not this time. So enjoy it! ^^**

**Also, I am seriously screwing around with a time line here. I don't really know what all I got planned concerning it, but Garrus is already out of military and in C-Sec, despite his age. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect, but I do own Riley. You will see.**

_**Chapter One Starts Here**_

Fresh out of Alliance training, top of her class. Any weapons made, she could handle. Perfect hand-to-hand skills and perfect aim. Fellow Alliance members dragged out Melissa Shepard, an Earthborn soldier, to Flux on the Citadel to celebrate their graduation from the boot camp. It was a relatively small group, only seven of them.

After a few drinks, Shepard agreed to go with one of the other soldiers, a young man only a year older than her with blonde hair and blue eyes. Not much about him was extraordinary. He had average good looks, his teeth weren't too white or too yellow, but he was probably a bit more drunk than she was. Shepard had only a few drinks, enough for a buzz but not enough to cloud her judgement in any way, shape, or form.

They ended up in a hall, alone. The music from Flux still beating through their ears, the sounds of other patrons muffled by the walls. For a short few seconds, they were fine. Then after those few seconds, he started to fumble and get awkward. With a small smile, she asked if he could go get them some drinks. He nodded and left her in the hall, alone. A sigh escaped her before she looked around.

"You handled that pretty well," a flanged voice commented. Her eyes landed on a turian on the catwalks above her.

"He's just a bit drunk," she told him. "Probably already forgot about me out here."

"Yet I don't see you in a rush to go back in there to remind him," the turian shot back with amusement.

"All my friends are drunk and are poor company at the moment," she replied with a shrug and a smirk. Then she looked up at him. "Mind keeping me company?"

"I'm sorry, but I really can't," he said, shuffling his feet a little. "I'm on duty."

"Ah, C-Sec," she noted with a nod. "I'm sorry, kind of hard to see you up there. I didn't notice your uniform."

"It's alright, I know it's a bit dark up here," he commented. "If you're still here, I'm off in an hour if you want some sober company."

Shepard smiled. "Well, I can't think of safer company than C-Sec. And if you're a crooked cop, I'm Alliance and I can probably kick your ass."

The turian laughed. "You don't need to worry."

Compared to her drunk friends who, a few of the boys shamelessly flirting with nearby asari and the girls just drinking and gossiping, the turian was really good company. He was nice and polite, didn't know her at all but chose to keep her company since her friends practically abandoned her.

"So, C-Sec," she spoke, her head a little more than a buzz and her judgement only slightly clouded. "We've been talking for the past thirty minutes, but we don't know each others names."

He chuckled, his piercing blue eyes closing for a second as he nursed his own alcohol. "Garrus," he told her.

"Nice to meet you, Garrus," she giggled. "I'm Melissa. My friends call me Mel, though. When they're not tripping over each other drunk." She took another drink before slamming her empty glass onto the counter. "So, what made you decide to keep me company?"

Garrus shrugged. "You asked," he replied with a shake of his head. "Besides, there's some scum around here that will wait until you are drunk enough for them to take advantage of or they'll just drug you."

Shepard laughed, her face hidden by her bright red hair as she leaned forward. "Aw, I got a cop concerned for some stranger's well being."

"Just one less report for me to deal with in the morning," he joked, accepting another ordered drink from the bartender.

_**Break**_

Her head was pounding, and any bit of light hurt her eyes whenever she cracked them open. A cool rag was dropped over her eyes before her overly sensitive ears picked up the sound of something being placed down on a nearby table. The lights were turned down before she removed the rag from her eyes and dared to open her light blue orbs, scanning the area. "Shit, where am I?" her groggy voice asked, making the pounding in her head more ferocious.

"In my apartment," a familiar flanged voice answered her. "We…got a bit…**too** drunk last night."

Shepard looked around and spotted the turian from last night sitting on the floor against the opposite wall, his blue eyes visible and the blue marks on his lower face barely noticeable. He seemed to be playing with a visor in one hand, refusing to look at her.

"How drunk?" she asked.

"Well," he started, but seemed quite nervous as to where to start or how to say it. "We're in my apartment. You're on my bed. When I woke up, I was laying behind you. And neither of us were wearing a damn thing. So I'd say we were way too drunk last night."

"Ah, shit!" Shepard cursed, sitting up. The blanket covering her slid down and revealed her bare chest. With a small squeak, she grabbed the blanket and covered herself. "You were supposed to be a good cop, you asshole!"

He held up his hands in defense. "I was drunk, you were drunk, neither of us were thinking properly last night! Okay? I didn't plan that. At all! I'm still trying to figure out what the hell happened last night!"

"Fuck!" she kept swearing. "Ah, man." She sighed heavily then looked at him. "Can you point me to your shower after I find my clothes?"

After a long shower and an awkward morning, the two decided it was best to forget the whole incident like it never happened. Shepard was out the door and heading towards the docks shortly after the agreement was made. She barely made it back to the ship before the Captain started barking orders to go.

"Shepard!" the Captain barked. "Where have you been? You should have been in hours ago!"

"Sorry, sir!" Shepard said with a salute. "Had some problems this morning."

The captain huffed then ordered her to her post before the ship detached from the docking arms and pulled back.

_**Break**_

Over the months, her skills were sharpened and improved. She was given squads to lead and made sure she was always the last one back on the shuttle to head back to the ship. She had only been transferred once to another ship, but she didn't mind. This captain, David Anderson, was a lot better than her last captain and the crew was very welcoming. The way they spoke to their captain told her that they had worked with him for a very long time, even the sarcastic pilot, Jeff "Joker" Moreau. Normally, when given an order or a mission, she would go do it, no matter what.

But something didn't feel right with her today. Her lower back gave sharp twinges of pain once in a while. Normally, she was grin and bear, but something about this didn't feel right.

"Hey, Doc," she greeted as she entered the MedBay, the doors sliding close behind her.

Dr. Chakwas, rumors say, had been serving on the same ships as Anderson. Then when Joker came into the picture, she took to following him around to make sure he takes his medication. The man was hopeless otherwise.

"Shepard," Chakwas greeted in return as the younger woman sat on the bed. "Is there something wrong?"

"I don't know," Shepard replied with a shake of her head. "There's pains in my lower back. It feels like there's some kind of pressure around my lower abdomen. There's something going on, but I don't know what."

Chakwas nodded once then instructed Shepard to lay back. Once she was comfortable, with the occasional squirm since the pains were getting a little harder to ignore and closer together, Chakwas ran her glowing omni-tool over the young woman. Her brows furrowed at the results before she put them to the side and scanned again.

"Shepard, this is going to sound a little strange," she began. "But according to these results I'm getting, you're pregnant and in labor."

"I'm what?!" Shepard yelled, shooting upright before dropping again. "Okay, that hurt. Are you sure, Dr. Chakwas?"

"I can scan again to make sure," she offered.

"Please." The omni-tool scanned over her again. The look on Chakwas's face said it all. The result hadn't changed. "I can't be pregnant, Doc. The last time I even had sex, I was drunk, so was he. He isn't even human! How the hell can I be pregnant?"

"The father isn't human?" Chakwas asked in shock.

"No," Shepard replied, teeth clenching at another bout of pain. "If you must know, the last person I slept with was a turian. And like I said, we were both very drunk."

"A turian?" Chakwas repeated in surprise. "And you didn't go through anaphylactic shock?"

"No, apparently I ended up knocked up!" Shepard shouted, slapping both hands onto her forehead. "Oh god, I can't believe this."

The doctor sighed gently and patted Shepard's legs. "First of all, you will need to change into something that will let you have this baby," she instructed. "Standard uniform won't allow it. Meanwhile, I will set up an area away from prying eyes so you can have this baby in peace."

"I didn't even know I was pregnant!" Shepard started to cry. "How could I be pregnant and not know it? I had my periods! I didn't throw up in the mornings! I ate normal foods! I didn't even gain a lot of weight! Oh god, I was drinking! What if something's wrong with the baby? It'll be all my fault because I was drinking!"

"Calm down, being hysterical isn't going to solve anything," Chakwas attempted to placate. "Believe it or not, despite all out advanced technology, there are still one in every twenty-five hundred pregnancies where the mother doesn't know she is pregnant. Now get changed. I will set up an area, and do try to stay calm for the rest of the labor. Stressing out about this isn't going to do any good. I will need to inform Anderson as soon as everything is done and over with, though."

"Discharged because of an unexpected pregnancy, what an embarrassment," Shepard groaned, tears still spilling from her eyes. "I'm going to kill that turian!"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there, now change clothes," Chakwas patiently told the nearly hysterical young woman.

Within minutes, Chakwas had divided an area of the MedBay from the rest of the room and allowed Shepard to change behind the curtains and get comfortable. She was still in a slight shock, but not as hysterical as she was. Hours had passed, most of them very painful as her dilation grew wider. She was terrified of the event. Never had she thought of ever becoming a mother, not after her own life on Earth. With no mother figure, she didn't think she would be a very good one anyway. Yet here she is, in labor with an alien's child.

"Life is a bitch throwing these curveballs at me," Shepard hissed out as a painful contraction hit. She'll proudly admit she has high pain tolerance, came with growing up in a gang on Earth.

Chakwas chuckled as she checked over the young woman's progress. "Alright, you're at ten centimeters now," she informed her.

"I'm not ready for this," Shepard told her firmly. "Not. At. All!"

"Too bad," the doctor said as she put on clean gloves and grabbed a large towel from a nearby cabinet. "Now, on your next contraction, you push as hard as you can and count to ten. Understand? And breathe. That's very important."

Shepard nodded her head, her hands gripping the sheets under her as she sat up very little. The next contraction hit in seconds and Shepard did as she was instructed. More painful hours seemed to pass, sounds alternating from Chakwas telling her to push and her own screaming at the pain before heavy breathing. Soft comments of encouragement came from the doctor, trying to keep the woman calm. Finally, at what felt like the highest point of pain she had ever experienced, it was all gone and a screaming cry not her own echoed through the room.

"There you are," Chakwas softly spoke, wrapping the squirming creature in the towel before going over to the nearby sink. Shepard had already collapsed on the bed, tired and worn out. "Looks like you have a little boy, Melissa." She was silent for a moment then sighed, gently wiping off Shepard's bodily fluids from the newborn with a damp rag. "He looks more turian than human, so if you want to adopt him out when we reached the Citadel, it shouldn't be too long until someone takes him."

"Let me see him, please," Shepard said softly.

With a slight nod of her head, Chakwas put the dirty rag down and brought the baby over to the exhausted woman. Shepard took the squirming bundle into her arms and looked down at the newborn. Big, blue eyes stared up at her, his little face covered with plates like any other turian. He managed to wiggle out a little arm and reached up to her.

"No, he won't," she said lowly. "He looks turian, but anyone could see he isn't. Not fully."

The newborn's five-fingered hand patted her chin, earning a pair of lips pressed against his palm from her. He blinked and his little mandibles twitched slightly, curious about the gesture. His coloring was even similar to that turian who unknowingly sired him, though with small traces of red that Shepard assumed he got from her. She unwrapped him a little more. He whimpered at the cold air, but she wanted to see more of him. He had the tiny spikes at the back of his legs, not quite up to his knees. His legs were shaped like a turian, but his feet had five toes, human shaped but with turian skin and tiny claws. Seeing he was about to cry, she wrapped him back up and held him close to her chest. "He's tiny. Did me drinking during the pregnancy make him like this?"

"Actually, since you're no alcoholic and only drink once in a while, he seems to have developed well enough," the doctor reassured him. "Granted, I'm no expert about turian-human hybrids. Still, he's at six pounds and four ounces. That's still a good weight, even for a human baby. Turian children, I don't know."

The newborn yawned, mouth opening as much as it could and mandibles stretching as far as possible, a small high-pitched sound escaping the newborn. "You're both a little tired, so get some rest," Chakwas chuckled.

**_Break_**

This was the last thing Anderson ever excepted to happen on his vessel. "Shepard's the best soldier we have," he stated out loud. "Unless she puts him with his father, I don't know how she's going to handle both a baby and her job."

"I don't think the father even knows about this," Chakwas pointed out. "Melissa said that both of them were drunk and it was only one night. Besides, he's turian. I don't know how he would react to finding out he has a son with a human. He may reject him all together."

Shepard woke to them barely a moment ago, but pretended to sleep with her arm around the slumbering newborn. The baby wiggled a little bit then went still and continued his even breathing.

Anderson sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not entirely sure how to handle this," he confessed. "This is something that has never happened amongst my crew. I can't discharge a soldier with skills like hers. But I know with a new baby, especially a baby with an alien father, will be hard to handle."

"I can manage," Shepard stated, bringing attention to her. Neither of the two noticed she even woke. She turned her head to look over her shoulder at them, but more to Anderson. "With all due respect, sir, I can manage both my job and my baby."

"Are you sure about that, Shepard?" Anderson pressed. "This is a very big responsibility."

"I can do my duty and take care of my baby," she told him firmly.

Another sigh escaped the captain. "Very well, then," he gave in. "Keep this in mind, Shepard. I'm only allowing this because you are a damn good soldier. One of the best and I am proud to have you in my crew. Some of the things I have seen you do, I don't expect anyone else to pull off." He linked his hands behind his back. "I'll give you two month leave to settle in with your son."

"I can be fit to work in a week, sir," she told him, rolling over a little more.

"I don't want to push you," he argued. "If you believe you can start working again in a week, let me know. I'll save the big missions for you so all the smaller ones don't get in your way with him. Now, considering what he is, he'll have to be a secret. I'm sure the crew will take time to get used to the idea of a turian-human child, but he will be a secret among us. Remember, he's your responsibility."

"Thank you, sir," the younger woman said with a small smile. "I'll let you know when I'm fit for duty."

Anderson nodded to her then turned to leave. He paused at the doors, though, then turned to look at her. "Out of curiosity, what do you plan on naming him?"

Shepard looked down at the still sleeping baby. She knew with all this noise, a human baby would wake up. Perhaps it was the turian in him. A name, though, didn't cross her minds until now. All she could really remember of his father was blue. Blue marks. Blue eyes. A blue visor. Blue C-Sec uniform. Just blue. But blue isn't a name. A small smile came to her lips when she remembered one of her few friends back on Earth, died a young age but when he was alive, he was always there for her.

"Riley," she finally answered. "Riley Azul Shepard."

**_Break_**

Riley had become a secret amongst the crew. But also a favorite. Some joked he was their little mascot, but go silent whenever Shepard came near them for the joke. Riley, despite being different from everyone in the crew, was a very happy child. At six months, he was crawling. At ten months, he stood on his own. Two months later and he was staggering around, trying to stay balanced as he walked. At eleven months of age, he spoke one word that made Shepard glow with love and pride. He called her 'Mama' and she would not stop announcing it to the ship.

His vocabulary lengthened over the next two years. Riley was very smart for such a young child. If something was bad for him, he was simply told and he never tried again. If he did when no one was looking and found out it is bad, then he really never tried again. He would sometimes stare at anyone having a conversation then would go to his mother and tell her the conversation in his own way.

At three years of age, the ship was docking at the Citadel. Anderson had some business to attend to, which left everyone else on shore leave.

"Mama, where everyone going?" Riley asked her as some of the crew left the ship, talking loudly about what they were going to do during their shore leave. Like other turians, his voice was dual-toned.

"Shore leave, sweetie," Shepard answered, rubbing the back of his head gently. "Now listen. I promise I will be back soon and then I'll take you somewhere very special. But I need to find someone first. Can you stay on the ship and keep your Uncle Joker company?"

"Where are you going, mama?" he asked, his little clawed hands wrapping around her bigger one.

"I just need to find someone, it's very important," she stated, swinging his arms gently. "I promise I'll be back soon. Until then, stay with Uncle Joker."

Riley lowered his head but nodded anyway. "Okay," he murmured.

"Hey, you'll have fun with him," Shepard said with a smile. "You always love talking with him. Besides, he doesn't leave the ship. Ever. So while everyone is on shore leave, he could use some company. He won't feel alone. Think you can keep him happy?"

"Yes, mama," Riley replied. "Come back soon?"

"I'll be back as soon as I possibly can," she giggled then pressed her lips to his forehead. "Be good."

"Okay."

She hugged him tightly then let him go before he ran into the cockpit. She chuckled when she heard Joker greet him like he normally did. "Help, a tiny person is invading my space!"

"Keep an eye on him, Joker," she called out. "I'll be back soon."

"Sure thing, Chief!"

She left the ship with one thought in mind. Truthfully, she was scared of the encounter. She was scared of how he would react. But thought it would only be fair if he knew. If he wanted nothing to do with Riley, that was fine with her. She wasn't looking for anything from him, she just thought it was right to let him know.

As soon as the elevator stopped, she stepped out and approached the first C-Sec officer she saw, who was also a turian. "Excuse me," she called.

His amber eyes stared down at her, the light tan face paint nearly invisible on his face. "Something I can help you with, ma'am?" he asked, truly polite instead of faking it.

"I'm looking for a C-Sec officer, a turian," she started. "He has blue facial markings on the lower half of his face. And he wears a blue visor."

"Ah, Garrus," the turian chuckled. "Just mention the visor. He's the only one around who wears one. Makes his aim better, not that it isn't deadly enough."

"Do you know here I can find him?" she asked. "It's kind of important."

The turian stared up at the ceiling in though for a moment. "Last I saw Garrus, he was going for routine patrol around the Zakera Wards. They're only a few floors, but they're generally crowded and he isn't the type of turian to sit still. Transit Stations can take you there."

"Thank you," she said before heading over to the glowing orange pedestal not too far away.

Once she was at the Zakera Wards, she started trying to find that one turian, scanning the crowds of multiple species. Occasionally, she would check the time on her omni-tool. Ten minutes passed. Fifteen. Twenty-five. After an hour and fourteen minutes of looking around, she finally spotted him. He was speaking with a human C-Sec officer, or arguing more like it. Between them was a very agitated human. When the two officers were done with their argument and the turian walked off with furrowed brow plates, the human looked quite smug about his apparent victory.

She quickly approached him before he had a chance to leave her sights. "Hey," she called to him.

He stopped and turned to look at her. "Something I can help you with?" he asked, though sounded frustrated.

"You're name is Garrus, right?" she hesitantly asked.

"Yes. Do I know you?"

She sighed and crossed her arms. "Four years ago, you met a human girl outside Flux. You both got drunk. And you both agreed that night never happened. Remember?"

He stared at her. "The only way you would know that is if you are her," he noted. "Yeah, I remember you now. Why are you bringing that up? We agreed. Never happened."

"I need to talk to you," she cut him off. "In private, preferably. It's really, really important."

Garrus looked over her then around the crowd. He motioned for her to follow him to the side. No one else was around there, but people were still walking by. He opened a nearby door and nudged his head to the empty room. She went in and he after her, closing and locking the door behind them. "Alright, what is so important?" he asked.

"I don't care how bad your day has been, cut the attitude," she snapped at him. "I don't even have to be here telling you this, but I am because I felt like I should."

"And what are you choosing to tell me?" the turian pressed. "It's been four years. What the hell could be so important about what happened back then now?"

She inhaled deeply. "I know human and turians are allergic to each other," she started. "I know we're really not even supposed to be doing things like sex together because we're allergic to each other. I don't know about you, but I didn't suffer from any allergic reaction, but something did happen that night."

"And what was that?" he asked, pacing.

Shepard gulped this time. "I got pregnant," she answered. He stilled and stared at her in shock. "For nine months, I carried him and didn't know it. And before you say anything, yes. He is yours. No, I am not looking for anything from you. I just thought that it would be good if you at least knew. If you don't want anything to do with him, fine. I don't care. I just wanted to tell you so I can get that off my chest."

He just continued staring at her. "You…were pregnant?" he asked. "With…with my child? No…No, that's impossible. Turians and humans can't breed."

"He is a genetic impossibility, yes, but he is," she told him. "He looks more turian than human, but I am his mother. And you are his father." They were silent for a moment. "Like I said, I don't care if you want nothing to do with him. I was just letting you know."

She moved towards the door and started unlocking it when he spoke up. "May I see him?" he asked lowly.

Pausing, Shepard looked over her shoulder at him. "What?"

"May I see him?" he patiently asked again. "I want to meet him."

Silence seemed to reign over them before a small, soft smile came to her lips. "Yeah, that's fine," she answered. "He's on the ship."

Within minutes, the two were on the elevator that went to the docking bay, a word not passed between them since the room. Shepard broke it first. "I would prefer it if he's kept a secret," she started. Garrus looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "Like I said, he looks turian, but he does have some human features."

"Such as?" Garrus asked.

Shepard held up her hand and wiggled all her fingers. "Such as this," she stated. "Feet, too. Stands like a turian, but has toes like a human, slightly elongated and he does have claws. Turian really stands out in him. But like I said, I want him to remain a secret. He's a genetic impossibility. He should not even exist, but he does. And I don't want some anti-alien fanatics from either side saying they want him dead or calling him things like an abomination. I also don't want any mad scientist finding out about him and trying to kidnap him so they can run sick experiments to find out what makes him tick."

"Sounds good to me," the turian agreed. Dr. Saleon was still fresh in his mind. Who knows what other mad doctors or scientists there are in the galaxy? And he can only try to do something about the ones on the Citadel, if he finds them.

"He's also very intelligent, and that isn't just motherly pride talking," she went on. "He is very smart. He may not understand everything, but he has perfect memory and his speech is a lot better than human children at his age."

The elevator stopped before the doors slid open. Garrus looked over the large vessel docked near them. It seemed large enough to give everyone their own quarters, but he knows looks are deceiving. It is a standard military vessel, meaning all that space was taken up very quickly with equipment.

The decontamination chamber seemed to go on forever until the door finally opened and the pair stepped onto the ship. Shepard was pleased to see that no one else came back in from shore leave and only the skeleton crew was still onboard.

"Hey, don't touch that!" she heard Joker exclaim. "Bad! Bad, bad, bad, bad!"

"Why?" Riley's flanged voice followed.

Garrus looked at her with a slight bit of confusion and surprise. She shrugged. "I said he seemed more turian than human," she pointed out.

"Push that button and we blow a hole into the docks and I don't think the captain will be very happy with us," Joker explained calmly.

"He won't know it was me," Riley shot back playfully. "He would think that you are just blaming me."

"When Shepard gets back, I'm telling her how evil you truly are."

"He's not evil," Shepard commented as she and Garrus entered the cockpit. "He's using childish innocence as his alibi."

"Alibi?" Riley repeated.

"Your side of a story, an excuse for you not to be blamed," she explained. "Now, come here, Riley. There's someone I want you to meet."

Joker actually turned around as Riley climbed out of his seat and ran over to his mother. The pilot's eyes widened at the sight of the turian behind the Chief.

"And Joker? Not a word."

"Lips are sealed," he assured her with a wave of his hand as he turned back around.

"Mama, who's that?" Riley asked, pointing to Garrus.

"It's rude to point," she gently reprimanded. "Now come on. Let's go somewhere a little more quiet for this."

"Okay!" Riley chirped before running out of the cockpit.

"Moves pretty fast for a three-year-old," Garrus commented.

"Oh, you have no idea," Shepard chuckled as she followed after her son, Garrus behind her. She led him to a room, living quarters it looked like, with two bed and a desk off to the side. The little boy was sitting on one bed, swinging his legs over the edge. "After Riley was born, I got this room so his crying wouldn't wake anyone else up."

"And now you both share it," he noted.

"Mama, who's that?" Riley asked again, but didn't point like last time.

Shepard smiled at him then kneeled in front of the three-year-old. "Remember what I told you before? About why you're so unique?" she asked.

"Because you're a human and my daddy's a turian," he replied, then firmly nodded his head like he was trying to acknowledge the fact was right.

"Yes," she said with a returned nod. "Now, I don't know how else to say this, so I'm just going to say it. Garrus, this is Riley. Riley, this is Garrus. He's your daddy."

The three were silent. Riley's blue eyes went up to the turian and seemed to study him. He pushed himself off the bed and walked over to the tall alien. His head tilted to the side before he reached over and grabbed Garrus's hand and jerked on it a couple times. Unsure about what the signal meant, he knelt down.

"You're my daddy?" he asked lowly.

"Yeah," he replied almost breathlessly. "I guess I am. It's very nice to meet you, Riley."

Hesitantly, Riley stepped a little closer until his little arms were wrapped around Garrus's neck. The turian seemed to freeze up at the hug before finally returning it.

_**Break**_

"If it's alright with you, I'd like to spend some time with him whenever you're at the Citadel," he said to her as he was leaving the ship.

Shepard smiled a little at that. "I think he'd like that," she told him, crossing her arms. "Glad my fears were unfounded, though. Had no clue how you would react and… I don't know. Guess I was worried about him mainly."

"That's understandable," Garrus commented with a shrug. "How long are you going to be here?"

She sighed. "Until the captain is done with his business, then we're out of here. I don't know what he's doing or what his plans are."

He nodded once before his omni-tool lit up and he started to go through everything on it. "Here's the number for my omni-tool. You can contact me whenever you're on your way back to the Citadel."

Her own omni-tool lit up with the sent information. "How did you know mine?" she asked as she activated her own.

His mandibles spread open a little bit, like a turian version of a grin. "I have my ways." The grin faded and he seemed a little nervous now. "So, I guess I'll see you and Riley later or next time or…whenever."

The young woman gave him a nod. "Next time," she said before feeling clawed hands grabbing her arm. She looked down to see Riley staring at his father.

"Daddy leaving?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I'll see you next time you come to the Citadel, alright?" Garrus replied before Shepard could. "Can you behave for your mother until then?" If felt strange to him saying something this. He didn't really think he would have a son at his age.

Riley nodded. "Okay," he replied. "Bye-bye, daddy."

**_Break_**

"I got a mission," Shepard told him as they walked through the wards. "It's on Akuze. And I'm going with a different crew and on a different ship."

"I can see where this is going," Garrus commented. "You want me to take Riley for a while."

"Would very much appreciate it," she replied with a sigh. "He loves the crew we're with right now and they all love him, but I don't want them being distracted by him. He's my responsibility on that ship, meaning I look after him. But I don't want him around a new crew and I don't know if I can trust anyone to keep their mouths shut about him." She finally stopped and looked at him. "Can you take him for a few days?"

"I could take him for a few weeks, if that's how long you would be gone," Garrus answered. "I'd take him however long you need to me. Want a break from him? Pass him over. I won't complain."

Shepard smiled and slowly shook her head. "Thank you," she said. "It should be a few days at least. Two weeks at most. Then I'll be back to get him off your fringe."

"Hey, no need to rush," he chuckled. "I'd like to spend some time with him."

"Which is why I am asking you to take him during my mission."

"Glad you did ask me."

"I knew you wouldn't say no."

An awkward moment passed between then before the turian sighed heavily. "Just…be careful out there. I don't think Riley would be too happy if he's told you didn't make it."

"Yeah," Shepard said with a nod. "Anyway, you know where to go to get him. Joker knows you, so does Anderson and Chakwas. I have to go."

"Did you already tell him good-bye?" Garrus asked.

"Yeah," she answered with a shrug of her shoulders. "He's eight. He knows I'll be gone for a while. He understands. Just keep a close eye on him. He will vanish if you give him the chance."

"Will do. I'll go get him now. Be careful out there."

"It's just as simple run in and secure mission. What the worst that could happen?"

**_Break_**

Almost a year ago. Fifty men. Dead. Her, the only survivor. Her only trophy of her survival, a long scar from the top of her right eye, down across her nose, and onto her cheek. Quick treatment had taken care of the acid burns she suffered from the thresher maw. But fifty good soldiers still died. At that still haunts her to this day.

"Mom?" a soft voice called to her, bringing her attention from the mirror to her young son standing in the doorway. "There's a turian on the Normandy. He said his name is Nihlus and he's a Spectre."

"Has he seen you yet?" she asked him. Thankfully, Anderson kept his crew with a few additions, meaning almost everyone on the brand new, state-of-the-art, prototype vessel knows about Riley.

"He might have seen me," Riley answered before shaking his head. "I don't know."

"What about the new guys?"

"No." He was silent for a moment and looked at the floor. A little worried, she approached him and kneeled down in front of the nine-year-old hybrid. "I watched them a bit. Jenkins seems nice, really happy and excited. The other guy, Kaidan… I don't know about him…"

"We'll just have to wait and see, honey," she commented, rubbing the back of his head. "Maybe after this shakedown run, everything will go back to normal."

Riley nodded. "Can I spend a little more time with dad next time we're at the Citadel?"

"Depends on his work," she answered as she got to her feet. Joker's voice came over the intercom, going over a checklist. "Sounds like we're about to make our first jump of the day. Stay hidden. I don't know how this Spectre will react to you and I don't want to chance it."

"Yes, mom," Riley answered with a firm nod before his mother walked by him and headed towards the cockpit. For a moment, Riley wondered about what he could do at the moment then spread his mandibles in a slight grin. A new ship means new things to find. And he does remember seeing them loading something like a tank.

_**Chapter One Ends Here**_

**Well there you go. I introduced Riley and brought it up to the start of ME1. If anyone has questions, I will answer to the best of my ability. But please, review and let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, here are the answers for your questions. I know this will take quite a bit of room per chapter, but I think that this is also the most effective. That way if anyone has similar questions, the answers are right here.**

** m meichiri: I know that you didn't have a question, but I do appreciate the review. I don't mind the ranting since you didn't outright flame the story. **_**Those**_** long ones drive me nuts. XD **

**Oh, from here on out, there won't be as many breaks unless I feel they are necessary. Just straight on through the games with slight differences. I'm gonna break a few ME1 rules. Thanks for all the reviews, everyone! I'm glad everyone likes it so far.**

**Also, I will refer to her as Shepard, but sometimes, other people may call her by her name. So, sorry if confusion invades.**

**Disclaimer: I own Riley, but I do not own Mass Effect.**

**_Chapter Two Starts Here_**

Flashes ran through her mind, too fast for her to see or understand them. Synthetics. Organics. Death. War. That was all she could pick up. She woke to someone calling the doctor, announcing her status as waking up. To her surprise, it was one of the new people, Kaidan Alenko.

Chakwas checked over her, telling her what happened the best she could while Kaidan beat himself up over it. She reassured him that there was no way of either of them knowing what the beacon would do. Though her words said one thing, she wanted to scream her actual thoughts at him.

What was he thinking? Who goes up to an object when someone says it wasn't doing anything before? Especially when they know nothing about the beacon or if anything would happen when they messed with it?!

She knew better, though. The man didn't need to hear it from her. He probably heard it from Anderson anyway.

As though summoned by her thoughts, Anderson entered the MedBay and requested to speak with her alone. Kaidan saluted him then walked out, Chakwas almost following him but waited until the doors were closed. "I believe a certain little boy can come out of hiding now," she said before stepping a little closer to the door, causing it to open again. Then she left and it closed again behind her.

As soon as the door closed, Riley came out from behind a bed, angled in a way that Kaidan couldn't see him. "Hey, big guy," Shepard greeted him before he ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her stomach. "I'm alright. Did you behave while I was down?" Burying his face into her side, he nodded.

"He snuck in here when Alenko and Williams weren't looking," Anderson told her with a chuckle. "Been hiding ever since. Glad to know he remembers to stay a secret."

"They're going to be part of the crew now, aren't they?" she asked. "They're staying?"

"Yes," Anderson replied with a nod of his head.

"I'll introduce them later on," she sighed, rubbing the back of Riley's head. "Now, you said you wanted to speak with me about something, sir?"

The man exhaled heavily. "I won't lie to you, Shepard. Things look bad. Nihlus is dead. The beacon was destroyed and geth are invading. The council's going to want answers."

"I didn't do anything wrong, Captain," Shepard pointed out calmly. "Hopefully, the council can see that."

Anderson turned and walked a couple steps away. "I'll stand behind you and your report, Shepard," he stated. "You're a damned hero in my book. That's not why I'm here. It's Saren, that other turian."

"Is he a bad turian?" Riley softly asked. "Dad says barefaced turians are bad turians. Most of the time."

"Depends on who you ask, Riley," the captain replied with a stone face. "Saren's a Spectre, one of the best. A living legend. But if he's working with the geth, it means he's gone rogue."

"So he was a good turian but now he's a bad turian," Riley concluded.

"Shush, Riley," Shepard gently told him.

"Let me put it this way, son," Anderson started. Riley didn't take offense to being called that by someone who wasn't his father, but that was mainly because Anderson would call a lot of the men onboard 'son' as well. It just meant he was acknowledging someone younger than him and considered family. "A rogue Spectre's trouble. Saren's dangerous. And he hates humans."

"Why?" Shepard asked, her tone a little clipped.

"He thinks we're growing too fast, taking over the galaxy. A lot of aliens think that way. Most of them don't do anything about it. But Saren has allied himself with the geth. I don't know how. I don't know why. I only know it has something to do with that beacon. You were there just before the thing self-destructed. Did you see anything? Any clue that might tell us what Saren was after?"

Shepard sighed and leaned back against the bed. Riley climbed onto the bed and grabbed her arm. She understood he got like this sometimes. He just wanted to be sure she wouldn't go anywhere and leave him like that again.

"Just before I lost consciousness, I had some kind of vision," she answered.

"A vision? A vision of what?"

She looked down at Riley, not wanting to say it in front of him but couldn't ask him to leave for a minute. "Riley, cover your ears and hum to yourself for a little," she told him. He looked at her curiously, but did as he was told, hands going to his ears before a low dual-tone started up. "I saw synthetics. Geth, maybe. Slaughtering people. Butchering them."

"We need to report this to the council, Shepard," Anderson pointed out.

"What are we going to tell them?" she asked, almost sarcastically. "I had a bad dream?"

"We don't know what information was stored in that beacon," the captain stated. "Lost Prothean technology? Blueprints for some ancient weapon of mass destruction? Whatever it was, Saren took it. But I know Saren. I know his reputation, his politics. He believes humans are a blight on the galaxy. This attack was an act of war! He has the secrets from the beacon. He has an army of geth at his command. And he won't stop until he's wiped humanity off the face of the galaxy!"

"So he's a bad turian," Riley piped up, his hands down and his humming done.

"Riley," Shepard sighed. "Don't worry, Anderson. I'll find someway to take him down."

"It's not that easy," Anderson firmly stated. "He's a Spectre. He can go anywhere, do almost anything. That's why we need the council on our side."

"We prove Saren's gone rogue and the council will revoke his Spectre status," Shepard replied.

Anderson nodded. "I'll contact the ambassador and see if he can get us an audience with the council. He'll want to see us as soon as we reach the Citadel."

"We're going back to the Citadel?" Riley asked in excitement. "Mom, does this mean I can spend more time with Dad?"

"Depends on what he's working on, if he's working on anything at the moment," she replied with a smile. "C-Sec can be either very busy or very quiet."

Anderson chuckled at the young hybrid's enthusiasm. "We should be getting close," he pointed out. "How about you head up to the bridge and tell your Uncle Joker to bring us to dock?"

"Alright!" Riley agreed, jumping off the bed and running out the door. He paused at the open door though then looked over his shoulder. "That new guy and new girl are out here."

"Just go on, I'll talk to them," Shepard reassured her son. He nodded then slowly walked off, his gaze fixated on one of the two he mentioned. Just before the doors closed, she saw him sprint to the stairs. She sighed then nodded to Anderson. "I supposed I should do that now."

"That would probably be a good idea," the captain agreed, dismissing her as well.

She exited the MedBay, seeing Kaidan at the edge of the mess and Ashley off to the side. She waved both of them over.

"I'm glad you're okay, Commander," Kaidan said. "The crew could use some good news after what happened to Jenkins."

"Jenkins was a valuable part of this crew," Shepard said remorsefully. "Look, judging from the looks on your faces, you saw that little boy running out of MedBay."

"Little turian boy," Ashley confirmed, crossing her arms. "If I may, Commander, why do you have an alien child onboard?"

"Riley is a crew secret," Shepard sternly told them both. "He was born amongst this crew and he has lived amongst this crew. Don't believe me, ask Joker. One thing you should really know about him, he's my child. If you end up being a threat to him, I will tear you apart. And if there is anything left of you, his father will finish you off. Keep that in mind."

"Question: when you say your child, do you mean you adopted him and his adoptive father is elsewhere?" Ashley asked. It looked like Kaidan had the same question but was hesitant to ask.

"No, I mean I got drunk one night and slept with a turian and we both kind of share him," she clarified. "And no, that's not me being sarcastic. Riley is a genetic impossibility. His father and I aren't together in any way, but he wanted to be part of Riley's life, so he is. And he's just as protective of him as I am. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Commander," both said in unison.

"Good, now I need to find my child before Joker becomes an even worse influence on him than he already is," the young woman stated.

"Don't you mean he's a bad influence on me?" Joker's voice asked from the comm.

"He's only like that because you chose to be the cool uncle who lets him get away with everything," Shepard argued back as she turned and walked towards the stairs.

"That's what cool uncles do!" Joker defended. "Spoil the kids and fill them with sugar before sending them off the mom and dad!"

Shepard didn't even reply, just shook her head and opened the door at the top of the stairs. Everyone was at their stations, minding their own business, occasionally talking to the person next to them. She walked by them and down the seemingly long corridor to the cockpit where Joker resided. Riley was standing next to his chair, watching everything out the window.

"Good timing, Commander," Joker greeted her before Riley grabbed her hand. "I was just about to bring us in to the Citadel. See that taxpayer money at work."

Sometime during the few moments it took for him to get to the Citadel, Ashley and Kaidan joined them at the cockpit. Riley pressed himself up against his mother, seeking comfort from being around strangers. Shepard gently patted him on the back, but kept her arm around the boy.

"Look at the size of that ship!" Ashley commented, going over to the window.

"The Ascension," Kaidan told her. "The flagship of the Citadel Fleet."

"Well size isn't everything," Joker commented.

"Why so touchy, Joker?" Ashley teased.

"You need firepower, too," Riley replied before Joker could. "Right, Uncle Joker?"

Shepard gave the pilot a look. "See? Bad influence."

"What, we were actually talking about ships when I told him that!" Joker defended with a grin.

"Look at the monster!" Ashley went on. "It's main gun could rip through the barriers on any ship in the Alliance Fleet."

"Good thing it's on our side, then," Kaidan stated with a shrug.

Still grinning, Joker contacted Citadel control to request permission for docking. It was given and they were told where to go.

"Mom, can I come with?" Riley asked, tugging on her hand. "I can go with Dad while you talk to the council about your mission. It's not that hard to find him. I can do it on my own!"

"No, Riley," she sadly said, knowing how much Riley loved to spend time with Garrus. "This is a business trip and your father may be busy." Riley looked down sadly as the ship was secured in the docking bay. "I'll tell you what. When I'm done talking to the Council, and if your father isn't too busy, then you can go see him. Alright?"

"How long are we going to be here?" he asked, looking back up at her.

"That depends on how the Council will react to the situation," she answered, rubbing the side of his head. "But until I get back, you stay here with Joker or Dr. Chakwas. But you behave, understood?"

Riley nodded. "Yes, Mom."

She kissed him on the forehead before looking over at Joker. "Trusting you with my only treasure here, Joker. Keep an eye on him. You know he can wander off when you're not looking."

"We'll be fine," Joker reassured her. "Go on. Have fun listening to the politicians bicker over who's better before getting to the important stuff."

In no time at all, they were in Ambassador Udina's office, listening to him argue with the Council aliens. Ignoring them, Shepard went over to the balcony ledge and looked over the presidium. She had come to the Citadel often, mainly for shore leaves and so Riley could spend time with his father, but she never really enjoyed the view the presidium had to offer.

"This is an outrage!" Udina exclaimed. It looked like she wouldn't enjoy that view now, too. "The council would step in if the geth attacked a turian colony!"

"The turians don't found colonies on the borders of the Terminus Systems, Ambassador," the salarian council member pointed out.

"Humanity was well aware of the risks when you went into the Traverse," the asari councilor continued on.

"What about Saren?" Udina went on. "You can't just ignore a rogue Spectre. I demand action!"

"Is he dumb or what?" Ashley whispered lowly.

"He's power-mad and dumb," Shepard replied. "Dangerous combination."

"You don't get to make demands of the council, Ambassador," the turian nearly snapped, obviously angered at the blatant show of disrespect. Shepard made a mental note to watch what she says to him and how.

"Citadel Security is investigating your charges against Saren," the asari pointed out. "We will discuss the C-Sec findings at the hearing. Not before."

"Get C-Sec involved in this?" Shepard scoffed. "I think they're idiots, too. C-Sec can't do anything when it comes to Spectres."

"Quiet," Anderson told her lowly, but didn't snap it or make it sound like an order.

The council's holograms faded before Udina finally approached them. "Captain Anderson," he greeted with a tone Shepard did not like. "I see you brought half your crew with you."

"Just the ground team from Eden Prime," Anderson corrected, brushing off the man's tone, as Shepard came to his side, hands laced behind her back. "In case you had any questions."

"I have the mission reports," Udina stated. "I assume they're accurate?"

"They are," Anderson assured. "Sounds like you convinced the Council to give us an audience."

"They were not happy about it," the Ambassador pointed out. "Saren's their top agent. They don't like him being accused of treason."

"I'm not going to sit on my ass just because the Council doesn't want to do anything," Shepard told him firmly. "If they won't stop Saren, I will."

"Settle down, Commander," Udina ordered her. "You've already done more than enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres. The mission on Eden Prime was a chance to prove that you could get the job done. Instead, Nihlus ended up dead and the beacon destroyed!"

Anderson came to her defense. "That's Saren's fault, not hers!"

"Then we better hope the C-Sec investigation turns up evidence to support your accusations," Udina told him. "Otherwise, the Council may use this as an excuse to keep you out of the Spectres. Come with me, Captain. I want to go over a few things before the hearing. Shepard, you and the others can meet us at the Citadel Tower. Top level. I'll make sure you have clearance to get in."

Udina turned and walked away, Anderson behind him, as Shepard went back over to Ashley and Kaidan. Ashley shook her head a couple times. "And that's why I hate politicians," she commented.

**_Citadel Tower_**

Shepard wasn't sure what to expect when they exited the elevator to the Tower. More political arguing or stuff-shirts trying to make themselves important. Whatever it was she expected, it wasn't seeing Garrus arguing with his superior.

"Saren's hiding something," Garrus argued with the older turian. "Give me more time. Stall them."

"Stall the Council?" the older turian repeated in surprise. "Don't be ridiculous! Your investigation is over, Garrus." He turned and walked away, but Garrus stayed where he was and looked right at her.

"Do I even need to ask?" she said, walking up to him.

"Depends if you want to," Garrus replied.

"I'll do it," Shepard sighed. "What were you arguing with your superior about now?"

"Come on, Shepard, you make it sound like a daily thing." They were quiet for a moment before he broke it. "Riley said something about it before, didn't he?"

"He remembers every rant you ever had about your superior," Shepard answered with a smirk. "His memory is just that good. So, what was that about?"

He shook his head. "I was the officer in charge of investigating Saren," he answered.

"I'm sure I can guess what you're going to say, but did you come across anything useful?" she asked him.

"No," Garrus answered. "He's a Spectre. Everything about him is classified, from his missions to his favorite color. I couldn't find anything solid."

"I knew the Council was being dumb trying to have C-Sec investigate him," Shepard sighed, shaking her head.

"I know he's up to something," Garrus stated. "Like you humans say, I feel it in my gut."

"I think the council's ready for us, Commander," Kaidan interrupted them.

Shepard gave the turian a nod before starting to walk off, but paused. "Riley's on the Normandy in the Docking Bay. Just in case you want to go see him. He seemed a bit disappointed that I didn't bring him along this trip."

"I'll do that as soon as everything is done and over with," Garrus replied. "Good luck, Shepard. Maybe they'll listen to you."

"I doubt it," she muttered under her breath.

After watching the turian leave, Kaidan looked towards Shepard as they approached the stairs. "Is he…?"

"Riley's father?" Shepard finished. "Yes, he is."

**_After the Trial – Chora's Den_**

One of the first things she noticed upon entering Chora's Den was two arguing krogan, one dressed in red mercenary armor and his face mostly covered in scars. He left a threat behind then brushed by the three humans, telling them he had no quarrel with them. Ashley seemed nervous about a krogan with that attitude being near them.

Then they found Harkin and Shepard did not like him. He wouldn't stop calling her 'sweetheart' or basically treating her like she was anything but a real soldier. If it wasn't for the fact that Garrus won't answer her calls, she wouldn't even be near this man. She needed to smack that turian on the head once she finds him. What she did not need was for this man to be telling her things that she had no business being told by anyone other than the captain himself. Harkin eventually cooperated and told her where to find Garrus.

She was all too glad to leave the man to his drinks. The way he stared at her made her skin crawl. Eventually, they made it to the clinic Harkin directed them to. She opened the door and was surprised at the scene. Garrus was ducked down against the wall, going to the edge of it. Behind the counter were three thugs, seeming to be threatening a woman.

"I didn't tell anyone, I swear!" she pleaded.

"That was smart, Doc," one of the thugs stated. "Now, if Garrus comes around, you stay smart. Keep your mouth shut or we'll-" Then he seemed to notice them entering. He grabbed the doctor and held the gun to her head. "Who are you?" he yelled at them.

"Let her go!" Shepard ordered.

At that second, Garrus went around the corner of the wall he was against and fired, his bullet going straight into the skull of the man holding the doctor. He fell to the floor dead. Once the others were dealt with, she went up to the turian and the doctor.

"Perfect timing, Shepard," he told her. "Gave me a clear shot of that bastard."

"You took him down clean," she complimented. "Hopefully you don't do stuff like that in front of you-know-who."

"She knows about him only because he got sick once," Garrus told her, knowing why the woman didn't say the boy's name. "Hasn't said a word about him to anyone."

Shepard shook her head before reaching up and hitting him on the side of his fringe. "That's for not answering me when I tried calling you!" she nearly yelled at him. "Would have made my day easier if I didn't have to go to some seedy little club to find a lecher just so I can find you. Thanks a lot, Garrus!"

"Well, sorry, it was important!" he stated, rubbing the side of his head. "By the way, that's a sensitive area."

"Yeah, I know," the woman replied with a smirk and crossed arms. "Got your attention, though."

He shook his head before looking to the doctor. "Are you hurt, Dr. Michel?" he asked her.

"No, I'm okay," she answered. "Thanks to you. All of you."

"Why were those men after you?" Shepard asked this time. "Who do they work for?"

Michel fidgeted a little bit. "They work for Fist. They wanted to shut me up, keep me from telling Garrus about the quarian."

"What quarian?"

Dr. Michel then told them about a young quarian girl coming into her office for treatment a while ago. She wanted to be put into contact with the Shadow Broker and the doctor pointed her to Fist, a Broker Agent.

Garrus cut her off there. "Not anymore," he stated. "Now he works for Saren, and the Shadow Broker isn't too happy about it."

Dr. Michel seemed shocked. "Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker? That's stupid, even for him. Saren must have made him quite the offer."

"That quarian must have something Saren wants. Something worth crossing the Shadow Broker," Garrus pointed out.

Thinking along the same lines as the turian, Shepard nodded. "She must have something that proves Saren's a traitor. Did the quarian mention anything about Saren or the geth?"

"She did!" Dr. Michel exclaimed. "The information she was going to trade. She said it had something to do with the geth."

"She must be able to link Saren to the geth," Garrus said. "There's no way the Council could ignore this!"

"Time to pay Fist a visit," Shepard stated as she turned to leave.

"Wait, Shepard," Garrus called to her. "I know this is your show, but I want to bring down Saren as much as you do. I'm coming with you."

A small smirk made its way to Shepard's lips. "I have the feeling that if I said no, you would pull the Riley card," she joked. He shrugged. "Alright. Come on then."

"Hey, LT?" Ashley called to the other. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just a migraine," Kaidan answered.

Shepard went over to him. "How bad?" she asked.

"Not that bad," he told her.

"Bullshit, back to the ship," Shepard ordered.

"I'm fine, I can still do this," he argued.

"That's an order, Alenko," she stated firmly. "That migraine of yours will only get worse. Get to the ship, go to Dr. Chakwas, get some medicine and rest. Now."

"I-" He sighed. "Yes, ma'am."

_**C-Sec Academy**_

Per Garrus's suggestion, the two humans and single turian were at the Academy, watching an exchange between the scarred krogan Shepard saw in Chora's Den and some C-Sec officers. Respect for the other being a soldier was the only respect he was willing to offer her, but joined them anyway. Ashley chose to go back to the Normandy, saying something about checking on Kaidan. Shepard suspected she was just uncomfortable being around two aliens that are species that not only fight each other, but are also a bit violent. Turians are military trained, but some have been known to lash out. Rare, but does happen. Krogans just live for a good fight and everyone knows it.

The three made their way back to Chora's Den to confront Fist about the quarian, but were met by a group of armed guards. The fight didn't last very long. After all, three armed and trained individuals could easily win against a group of hired guns. Two workers further in were persuaded to leave by Shepard then they were in Fist's office. Two turrets came up from a pair of tables as Fist scurried back and hid behind something.

"Nothing is ever easy, is it?" Shepard asked, ducking for cover as the turrets started firing.

"Whatever made you think otherwise?" Garrus asked her, moving around the corner to shoot a few rounds into the turrets during their few seconds of cooling down. Both turrets were eventually destroyed and Fist was cornered.

"Wait!" Fist cried out. "Don't kill me, I surrender!"

"Where's the quarian?" Shepard asked, pointing her pistol at Fist's head.

"She's not here!" Fist told her. "I don't know where she is! That's the truth!"

"He's no use," Wrex stated. "Let me kill him."

"Wait! Wait!" Fist exclaimed covering his face. "I don't know where the quarian is, but I know where you can find her. The quarian isn't here. Said she'd only deal with the Shadow Broker himself."

"In person?" Wrex asked. "Impossible. Even I was hired through an agent."

"Nobody meets the Shadow Broker," Fist said as he got to his feet. "Ever. Even I don't know his true identity. But she didn't know that. I told her I'd set a meeting up. But when she shows up, it'll be Saren's men waiting for her and that rude little turian brat with her."

"Turian brat?" Shepard said with anger in her voice. "You not only endangered an innocent, but also a child? Are you insane?!"

"I don't think they'll kill him," Fist said. "Though, deformed turian kids, might be easier to just put him out of his misery."

"Deformed?" Garrus repeated, dread filling both him and Shepard. "How so?"

"Five fingers on each hand, for example," Fist answered with a shrug, not seeing the harm in telling them this. "Who knows what else was wrong with him."

"You son of a bitch!" Shepard yelled, grabbing him and pressing the end of her pistol's barrel to his bottom jaw. "Tell me where that meeting is before I blow your damn head off!"

"Here on the wards!" Fist answered, fear evident on his face with the gun so close to him. "The back alley by the markets! She's supposed to meet them right now! You can make it if you hurry!"

Shepard pushed him away. He staggered back, trying to regain his balance, but he was suddenly thrown back as the sound of a firing gun echoed around them. Both Shepard and Garrus looked at Wrex.

"What?" he asked. "I was hired to do a job, and I don't leave a job half done."

"He deserves it anyway," Shepard agreed, already rushing out of the room. "Come on! The quarian and Riley are dead if we don't hurry!"

"We don't know if it's really Riley!" Garrus pointed out, though fear still gripped him.

"Do you know any other turian children with a total of ten fingers?" she yelled over her shoulder, entering the main part of the club. "Shit!" More guards had shown up during their interrogation with Fist. Unwilling to waste more time than necessary, they were dealt with quickly.

Fear and adrenaline fueled her as she ran through the alley, trying to get to meeting spot. She was at the top of a short staircase when she spotting a small group. Garrus and Wrex stopped behind her. Down below were two salarians, a turian, the quarian they were looking for, and Riley, holding her arm tightly and staring at the older turian.

"Did you bring it?" the turian asked, approaching the quarian.

Riley clung onto her arm tighter, gently pulling on her. "Where's the Shadow Broker?" the quarian asked briskly, trying to keep the child behind her. "Where's Fist?"

His hand went up to her head, caressing down her free arm. "They'll be here. Where's the evidence?"

She slapped his hand away. "No way. The deal's off."

"Bad turian," Riley whispered. "Fang face. Assassin."

He stepped away, looking down at the young child then back at the quarian. The two salarians looked over and held up their guns. The quarian grabbed Riley, throwing something over her shoulder, and ran over to a stack of crates near them. A small explosion went off between the salarians.

"Get the hell away from them!" Shepard yelled, aiming at the turian.

"What the-" A bullet between his eyes interrupted him. The two salarians were quickly killed.

Once they were dealt with, both the quarian and Riley came out from their hiding spot.

"Mom!" Riley yelled out. "Dad!"

"Damn it, Riley, I told you to stay on the ship!" Shepard exclaimed, kneeling on the ground as Riley ran over to her. He wrapped his arms around her neck before she picked him up and his legs wrapped around her waist.

"You okay, Riley?" Garrus asked, looking his son over.

"Yeah," he answered. "I met Miss Tali over there in the Wards. I was trying to go to C-Sec to find you, Dad. I told you I could do it by myself, Mom."

"Missing the point of me telling you to stay on the ship," Shepard shakily stated.

"Wait, these two are your parents?" the quarian, Tali as Riley called her, asked, pointing back and forth between the human and turian.

"Drunk, one night," Garrus explained.

"Still hard to believe," Wrex commented.

"Are you okay?" Shepard asked the quarian.

"Other than Fist setting me up, I'm fine. Knew I couldn't trust him!" She shook her head. "I can take care of myself, but thank you all the same. I'm sorry for putting your son in danger. I didn't realize just how dangerous it would be, but I didn't want to leave him someplace by himself."

"Promise not to do it again and I will forgive you," Shepard told her, putting Riley down before he went over to Garrus and held onto his arm.

"So who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Shepard, I'm with the Alliance," the young woman answered. "This is Garrus Vakarian and Urdnot Wrex. We were looking for you. Actually, for the evidence you have about the geth and Saren."

"Well, I do owe you," Tali stated with a nod. "But not out here. Somewhere safe."

"Your ambassador's office," Garrus suggested, looking towards Shepard. "It's safe and he'll want to know about this evidence."

_**Citadel Tower**_

"So mom's a Spectre now?" Riley asked once Udina walked away.

"Yeah, the first human Spectre," Garrus answered before looking at Shepard. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," Shepard replied, brushing some of her red hair behind her ear.

"He didn't even thank or congratulate you," Tali remarked about the ambassador.

"He's got a lot on his mind," the new Spectre stated with a small shrug. "So, Garrus, question. You said you wanted to bring down Saren. Does that stop here or do you want to come with us?"

"Are you kidding me?" he chuckled. "Stay here and miss bringing down a rogue Spectre? No way I'm going to miss that. If you'll have me, I'd like to join you on this mission."

"Good, I'm glad," Shepard said with a smile.

"Yeah, Dad's coming with us!" Riley cheered. "So where we going first?"

"We'll see when we get back to the ship. For now, calm down. At a distance, anyone will think you're another turian child. But if you bring too much attention to yourself, they'll notice certain things about you."

"You mean these?" Riley asked, holding up his hand and spreading his fingers as wide as he could.

"Exactly, and people wouldn't understand it," she explained to him, taking his hand and walking away with him, Garrus and Tali behind them. "So let's get back to the Normandy and you can show off to your father about how smart you really are."

"You mean like how much eezo was used for the drive core and how it is stabilized and-"

"Whoa, slow down there," Garrus cut him off. "I don't know a thing about ship drive cores."

"I think we'll have something to talk about then, Riley," Tali commented with a giggle.

"Alright," Riley pouted before perking up again. "What about tanks? Know anything about tanks, Dad? We got a Mako!"

When they reached the docking bay, thankfully without anyone really looking at their unusual group, Anderson and Udina were standing by the docking arm. "Shepard, I have good news for you," Udina announced. "Anderson is stepping down as acting captain of the Normandy."

"What's this really about?" she asked, crossing her arms. Anderson wouldn't just step down from the Normandy, or from the crew.

"You're a Spectre now, Shepard," Anderson pointed out. "You only answer to the Council. You'll need your own crew and ship. You know the Normandy, you know the crew. I figured it was time for me to step aside."

"You're leaving?" Riley asked from behind his father's legs, mandibles twitching slightly.

Udina stared down at the child in shock as though he finally noticed him. Since he didn't say anything in his office or in front of the Council about the child, chances were he just didn't see him before.

Anderson, however, smiled gently and knelt down in front of the child. "Yeah, I have to," he answered. "You be good for the commander and don't drive the rest of the crew crazy. Understand?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Riley saluted. "I'll miss you, Grandpa Andy."

"I'm forever blaming you for that, Shepard," Anderson commented as he rose to full height again.

"I have no clue what you're talking about," Shepard joked. "He started that by himself." Anderson shook his head with a sigh and crossed his arms. "So, do we have any leads on where to find Saren?"

"There are a few places you can look, yes," the captain replied. "Matriarch Benezia has a daughter, named Liara T'Soni, somewhere in the Artemis Tau Cluster. We don't have her exact location. There have also been reported geth activity on Feros. And there is something strange happening on Noveria. We don't know how bad things are on Feros or Noveria."

"I'll go to the Artemius Tau Cluster first," Shepard stated.

"That's entirely up to you," Anderson pointed out. "Good luck, Shepard."

She nodded before the unusual group of four boarded the Normandy. Decontamination didn't seem to take long enough in Shepard's opinion. The crew may or may not have been informed of Anderson's leave, and she wasn't looking forward to announcing it if they weren't.

She went to the cockpit, then narrowed her eyes on Joker. "What happened to keeping an eye on my son?" she asked with arms crossed.

"He told me he was going down to the lower levels, checking out the Mako, I think," Joker defended. "Besides, you know I have brittle bones. I can't go running around looking for him."

"Ask someone, then," Shepard sighed. "I'll let it slide this one time, Joker. But next time, you will have broken bones. From both myself and his father."

"Yeah, yeah, may all my bacon burn," Joker chuckled with a wave of his hand. "So, Anderson's leaving, huh?"

"Yeah," the commander replied with a small shrug of her shoulders. "This doesn't feel right. It feels like I'm stealing the ship from him."

Joker nodded once before sighing. "Intercom's open," he stated. "If you've got anything you want to say to the crew, now's the time."

She sighed heavily before leaning over and pressing the button. "This is Commander Shepard speaking. We have our orders: find Saren before he find the Conduit. I won't lie to you, crew. This mission isn't going to be easy. For too long, our species has stood apart from the others. Now it's time for us to step up and do our part for the galaxy! Time to show them what humans are made of! Our enemy knows we're coming. When we go into the Traverse, Saren's followers will be waiting for us. But we'll be ready for them, too. Humanity needs to do this. Not just for our own sake, but for the sake of every other species in Citadel Space. Saren must be stopped, and I promise you all…we will stop him!"

Shutting down the intercom, Joker looked up at her. "Well said, Commander. Captain would be proud."

With a nod to the pilot, she turned and walked away, saying over her shoulder, "The captain gave up everything so I can have this chance. We can't fail."

_**Chapter Two Stops Here**_

**Well, yeah, I did use quotes from the game and all that, and other times, not actual quotes but the point came across the same. It would be easier if I could find someone on youtube who does a walkthrough with a paragon female Shepard. The ones I've found so far, kind of random. Anyway, please review and tell me what you think! ^^**


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